Five land sector apprenticeship proposals have been approved for further development in the package of new apprenticeship proposals recently announced by the Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton T.D., and the Minister of State, John Halligan T.D. The land sector apprenticeship proposals were put forward by Teagasc on behalf of land sector stakeholders.
Agriculture, horticulture and the equine sector are included in the proposals. Two proposals are directed at manager occupations; farm manager and stud farm manager. These are intended to lead to Level 7 degree awards on the National Framework of Qualifications. The remaining three proposals are directed towards land technician occupations and are intended to lead to Level 6 awards.
The five Teagasc land sector proposals were among 26 new national apprenticeships in the Ministers‘ announcement that have been approved for further development in areas ranging from Animation to Healthcare. The new apprenticeships announced span a wide range of skills and sectors and will be developed in response to identified skill needs in the economy. A number of programmes in existing industry sectors such as construction, engineering, hospitality, and ICT will be expanded. The land sector proposals represent a new area of national apprenticeships.
This Government is committed to more than doubling the number of new apprentices registered across all sectors to 9,000 by 2020 and expanding further into new areas. All of the new apprenticeships are flexible, ranging in duration from two years to four years and will be offered at levels 5 to 10 on the National Framework of Qualifications.
Speaking at the launch of the new apprenticeships, Minister Bruton said that the programmes announced will provide excellent opportunities and choice for school leavers and other learners and allow employers shape the programmes that best suit their workforce needs.
Commenting on the new land sector apprenticeship proposals, Professor Gerry Boyle, Director of Teagasc said: “The Teagasc apprenticeship proposals follow extensive consultation with land sector stakeholders regarding future qualification needs of land sector occupations over the coming decades. Stakeholders highlighted the need for education pathways that provide work-based learning programmes to complement more traditional education pathways.”
Welcoming the approval of the land sector proposals, Tony Pettit, Head of Education in Teagasc emphasised that active involvement of land sectors will be key to progressing the land apprenticeship proposals. The apprenticeship model is founded on employers taking a lead role in apprentice education and development. Teagasc looks forward to working closely with stakeholders to develop robust apprenticeship models.
